Rod Brasfield

Rodney Leon Brasfield(August 22, 1910 – September 12, 1958) was an American comedian who was prominently featured on theGrand Ole Opryfrom 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame.

Life and career

Brasfield was born inSmithville, Mississippi. He began his career in the late 1920s with Bisbee’s Dramatic Shows, a touring tentrepertorytroupe, serving as astraight manfor his older brother, actor and comedianBoob Brasfield. In 1931 he married aHohenwald, Tennesseeschool teacher, Eleanor Humphrey.

In 1944, Brasfield was recruited byGeorge D. Hayfor the Grand Ole Opry. With his trademark baggy suit, battered hat and rubbery face, he could make audiences laugh before he spoke a word. He soon became the primary comic onThePrince AlbertShow, the Opry’sNBC Radiobroadcast, playing off the show’s host,Red Foley. Assuming the role of a hapless hayseed, he often poked fun at country life—always with good humor.

In 1948, he began teaming withMinnie Pearl, playing what she referred to as "double comedy" in which each of them delivered alternating punch lines and neither played the straight man. Some of these routines were broadcast on the Opry's liveABCtelevision network show from 1955–56. He lived in Hohenwald, called himself the Hoenwald Flash, and often mentioned the local restaurant (which he once owned), the Snip-Snap-and-Bite, in his routines. Brasfield sometimes did ventriloquist routines with a dummy named Bocephus, after whomHank Williamsnicknamed his then-infant sonHank Williams, Jr.; and also did comedy withJune Carter.

In March 1956, Brasfield appeared withElvis Presleyat Atlanta's Fox Theatre. In 1957, he playedAndy Griffith’s sidekick inA Face in the Crowd; and appeared inCountry Music Holidaythe same year. Heart failure combined with an ongoing problem with alcohol led to his death at age 48 in 1958 inMartin, Tennessee. He is buried in Smithville.